Miami’s Erik Spoelstra on Joe Mazzulla’s head coaching…

Miami’s Erik Spoelstra on Joe Mazzulla’s head coaching job: ‘His care-factor is through the roof’

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla has enjoyed tremendous success in his first year as head coach in the NBA. He and the Celtics were one of the league’s top team’s all season long, and are a few wins away from another Finals appearance. Standing between Boston and a shot at a banner, sit a familiar foe, the Miami Heat.

The Celtics and Heat are now dueling in a third Eastern Conference finals showdown in four seasons. And though Boston is heavily favored in the series, it’s hard to count Miami out from the jump. They are savvy, tough as nails, and on quite the eight-seed is on a real Cinderella run. Throw in one of the Association’s most respected head coaches in Erik Spoelstra, and the Heat have more than a puncher’s chance.

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Spoelstra famously worked his way up the ranks, serving as an assistant and video coordinator for the team before earning the role of head coach at the age of 38. Now one of the league’s top minds, Spoelstra is a massive asset for this Heat team’s chances in the 2023 postseason.

Ahead of Game 1 between Boston and Miami, Spoelstra was asked about Joe Mazzulla, what it’s like to be a young coach in the NBA, and more.

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“He’s done a great job,” Spoelsta said of Mazzulla. “I’ve gotten to know Joe a little bit over the years. And he’s a sharp guy.

“His care factor is through the roof, his maturity is beyond his years, and he’s been in this program for a while now. I think that’s probably what’s most relevant, he knows what’s important to this organization. And they have a lot of experience with these guys. He’s earned their trust. And I think he’s done. He’s done a great job.”

When Spoelstra took over the Heat in 2008-09, he inherited a team a few year’s removed from winning a title. Just a couple of seasons later, the relatively untested Spoelstra was coaching LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh.

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Spoelstra joked he didn’t remember much from his early coaching days, though he lamented the running joke was that he was out past his bed time.

The now-veteran coach explained each situation is a different challenge, but that Mazzulla has more than met the challenge.

“I have a lot of respect for Joe,” Spoelstra said. “We have a couple of mutual friends, we started talking a bunch of in a bubble. And we obviously seem to be bumping into each other all the time.

“The most valuable thing is what he’s done this year. It’s not easy. you definitely have to respect that.”

Boston is the betting favorite for the 2023 Eastern Conference finals, but Miami will be a formidable test. Mazzulla continues to impress, even as the lights get brighter. To date, expect this to be his toughest challenge yet.